Have you ever thought about who invented work or labour and why do we work?

With work so hard to find as well as its increasing pressures on the human mind and body, I thought I would reflect on this phenomenon for my September blog.

Work in Eden

According to the book of Genesis, God established work as a fundamental, good part of human existence before the fall into sin.

• Work was an example of what God did.

God worked for six days to create the universe and everything in it, then rested on the seventh day. Scripture describes God actively making, forming, fashioning, and planting – all examples of work or labour. God’s rhythm of working and resting served as a foundational pattern for humanity that still exists today.

• Work was a Blessing.

God placed the first human in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it (Genesis 2:15). This means the original design was for work to be a gift and a blessing, not a punishment or burden. Through meaningful tasks like caring for the earth and naming the animals, humans reflect God’s creative character.

• Work was an expression of human dignity.

Work was designed as an expression of human dignity, meant to cultivate the earth, care for creation, and reflect God’s own creative nature. It was a blessing – a pure, joyful act of creative stewardship, not a punishment or burden. Tasks were deeply satisfying and energizing, carried out without debilitating physical pain, mental burnout, or overwhelming anxiety. Human worth was anchored entirely in being made in God’s image, meaning work added expression to life rather than defining a person’s worth. The natural world cooperated fully with human effort, yielding a direct and predictable return on time and energy invested.

Modern Labour

What Changed?   The fall into sin in Genesis 3 radically transformed work from a seamless blessing into a frustrating struggle, full of toil, resistance, and decay. Because of sin, we experience the following:

• Work Became Painful Toil

Before sin entered the world, work was satisfying and fruitful. Afterward, God told Adam, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:17). Work itself is not the curse, but the curse made work physically and mentally exhausting.

• Creation Resists Human Effort

The environment went from a perfectly cooperative garden to a resistant landscape. Genesis 3:18 notes that the earth would produce “thorns and thistles.” In modern terms, this represents frustration, setbacks, and systemic friction—such as physical challenges (bad weather, plant diseases, and infertile soil; market crashes, broken equipment, creative blocks, and administrative red tape.

• Separation of Effort and Reward

In a fallen world, hard work no longer guarantees a successful outcome. The introduction of sin meant humans could labor endlessly only to face crop failure, business bankruptcy, or layoffs. The natural connection between input and output has been fractured. Work meets resistance, represented biblically as “thorns and thistles,” which translate in modern life to administrative red tape, market crashes, equipment failures, and project setbacks. People often tie their entire self-worth and identity to their job title, productivity levels, or income, making work an intense source of pressure.

• Distorted Motivations

The fall corrupted human hearts, which distorted the purpose of work. Instead of working to glorify God and serve others, work often became driven by: Idolatry: Finding one’s identity, worth, and security entirely in a career. Greed and Exploitation: Using labor to accumulate wealth selfishly at the expense of others. Laziness: Viewing work as an evil to be avoided entirely, rather than a divine calling.

Ultimate Futility of Modern Work

God told Adam, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground… for dust you are and to dust you will return”(Genesis 3:19). The fall introduced mortality, meaning that no matter how grand a person’s life’s work is, they will eventually leave it behind, creating a sense of futility and transience, a central theme explored in the Book of Ecclesiastes.

In the biblical wisdom literature of Ecclesiastes, the writer uses the Hebrew word hebel (often translated as “vanity” or “meaningless,” meaning a vapor or breath) to describe the core paradox of work: you can do everything right, labor with total skill, and still end up with nothing permanent.

As you reflect on Labour Day 2026, know that in the end, work and its by-products are all transient. You may pour your finite time, energy, and mental health into your work. The ultimate reality is that you do this with systems that are inherently temporary. These systems are also predictable and indifferent to their existence. Beware then – You cannot outwork work.

Let this be your guide – ALWAYS, and ensure you take time for your self and others.